15

ryan lash and i have known each other for about 15 years. the first time i met him he was a lanky, vegan with a sundry of cameras strapped to his body and a dry sense of humor. not much has changed, except he now eats things that once had faces. i’m not sure how we’ve managed to stay close since we are rarely inhabit the same continent, but our friendship has been a constant and something i deeply treasure.

ryan was the first person to really encourage me to take photographs. whereas the average person would offer praise, ryan actually gifted me a rare manual pentax film camera with two amazing lenses and an auto-winder (so i would feel like a professional). when i was having problems with an ex, sweet ryan offered to come and ‘bash his kneecaps’ and since that wasn’t completely realistic he called a mutual friend and requested she fly to australia to cheer me up. when marabeth and i demanded glamor shots complete with blowing fan action, ryan lash acquiesced and held back the eyerolls as we carried on in our posers-on-steroids fashion. these are just a few of reasons why i will forever adore ryan lash.

the most recent reason? the incredible way he captured our weekend wedding extravaganza. you can see the photos here.

my suggestion – if you are getting married, you definitely need to hire ryan as your wedding photographer. if you are not getting married you need to hire ryan to shoot your next elaborate party. if you are not into parties you need to hire ryan to shoot your boring-day-to-day existence. his photos capture real life better than real life.